Turkey "Cordon Bleu" Roulade

This is a version of chicken Cordon Bleu that I made when I was using up some Swiss cheese and prosciutto. I'm not a fan of pounding meat to thin it out, so I do things like buy turkey scallopini, which has already been cut to a thickness of about 1/4", which makes it perfect for something like this.

My package of turkey had four beautiful large, thin pieces of meat in it, perfect for the four of us. The piece of Swiss cheese I had was quite small, but by grating it I was able to divide it equally between the four pieces of turkey.

Lay the turkey flat on a cutting board, and cover each piece with thinly sliced prosciutto. I used two pieces of prosciutto for each piece of turkey.

Sprinkle the cheese over the prosciutto. I used:

2/3 cup grated Swiss cheese

With the short end of the turkey facing you, tuck the long sides in and then starting at the end closest to you, roll the meat and filling up.

The filling should be completely enclosed by the turkey.






Set up a breading line, with flour, egg and milk and breadcrumbs. Season all three, and then bread the turkey roulades by coating each one in flour, then dipping it into the egg wash and then coating it in breadcrumbs.

Place the turkey roulades into the fridge to chill.









Turn the oven on to 375F.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat olive oil until very hot.

Add the roulades and cook until brown and crispy. Turn them over and then place the whole pan into the oven, and bake until the turkey is fully cooked. This took about 25 - 30 minutes.





Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes, before cutting in half. I served my turkey with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and pan fried cauliflower.

• If you have boneless, skinless chicken breasts and would like to pound them to an appropriate thickness for this recipe, I have included a link for you.

http://www.noreciperequired.com/technique/how-pound-out-chicken-breast#

• Other meats that can be rolled and stuffed this way included veal, beef, pork or chicken. You can also use sole fillets. The main requirement is that the meat is thin enough to roll, and of a reasonably uniform shape.
• Another way to make a version of chicken Cordon Bleu  is to make a small pocket in the thickest part of the chicken breast, using a small sharp knife, and carefully enlarging it with your finger. Wrap a stick of cheese in ham or prosciutto, and carefully push it into the pocket (see the post Herbed Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Warm Peach Chutney ).
• Use ham instead of prosciutto.
• Any sharp, melting cheese can be used. Classically Chicken Cordon Bleu uses Swiss cheese, but you can try cheeses such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, asiago, goat cheese or brie.
• I did not season the turkey as both the cheese and prosciutto were salty. I did, however season all three stages of the breading, with salt and pepper, and a bit of cayenne pepper in the flour.
• If you have fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, chives or rosemary, chop them finely and add them to the breadcrumbs.
• The turkey roulade can be made and breaded a day ahead, and kept in the fridge, well wrapped. They can also be frozen...defrost before cooking.
• The breading helps to seal the filling inside the meat, but if you are concerned about the turkey unrolling during cooking, tie the roulade with kitchen twine before cooking.